the man versus the state-第11章

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thropists　push　their　agitations　with　growing　confidence　and　success。　Journalism；　ever　responsive　to　popular　opinion；　daily　strengthens　it　by　giving　it　voice；　while　counter…opinion；　more　and　more　discouraged；　finds　little　utterance。　　　　　　Thus　influences　of　various　kinds　conspire　to　increase　corporate　action　and　decrease　individual　action。　And　the　change　is　being　on　all　sides　aided　by　schemers；　each　of　whom　thinks　only　of　his　pet　project　and　not　at　all　of　the　general　re…organization　which　his；　joined　with　others　such；　are　working　out。　It　is　said　that　the　French　Revolution　devoured　its　own　children。　Here　an　analogous　catastrophe　seems　not　unlikely。　The　numerous　socialistic　changes　made　by　Act　of　Parliament；　joined　with　the　numerous　others　presently　to　be　made；　will　by…and…by　be　all　merged　in　State…Socialism　　swallowed　in　the　vast　wave　which　they　have　little　by　little　raised。　

〃But　why　is　this　change　described　as　'the　coming　slavery'？〃　is　a　question　which　many　will　still　ask。　The　reply　is　simple。　All　socialism　involves　slavery。　　　　　　What　is　essential　to　the　idea　of　a　slave？　We　primarily　think　of　him　as　one　who　is　owned　by　another。　To　be　more　than　nominal；　however；　the　ownership　must　be　shown　by　control　of　the　slave's　actions　　a　control　which　is　habitually　for　the　benefit　of　the　controller。　That　which　fundamentally　distinguishes　the　slave　is　that　he　labours　under　coercion　to　satisfy　another's　desires。　The　relation　admits　of　sundry　gradations。　Remembering　that　originally　the　slave　is　a　prisoner　whose　life　is　at　the　mercy　of　his　captor；　it　suffices　here　to　note　that　there　is　a　harsh　form　of　slavery　in　which；　treated　as　an　animal；　he　has　to　expend　his　entire　effort　for　his　owner's　advantage。　Under　a　system　less　harsh；　though　occupied　chiefly　in　working　for　his　owner；　he　is　allowed　a　short　time　in　which　to　work　for　himself；　and　some　ground　on　which　to　grow　extra　food。　A　further　amelioration　gives　him　power　to　sell　the　produce　of　his　plot　and　keep　the　proceeds。　Then　we　come　to　the　still　more　moderated　form　which　commonly　arises　where；　having　been　a　free　man　working　on　his　own　land；　conquest　turns　him　into　what　we　distinguish　as　a　serf；　and　he　has　to　give　to　his　owner　each　year　a　fixed　amount　of　labour　or　produce；　or　both：　retaining　the　rest　himself。　Finally；　in　some　cases；　as　in　Russia　until　recently；　he　is　allowed　to　leave　his　owner's　estate　and　work　or　trade　for　himself　elsewhere；　under　the　condition　that　he　shall　pay　an　annual　sum。　What　is　it　which；　in　these　cases；　leads　us　to　qualify　our　conception　of　the　slavery　as　more　or　less　severe？　Evidently　the　greater　or　smaller　extent　to　which　effort　is　compulsorily　expended　for　the　benefit　of　another　instead　of　for　self…benefit。　If　all　the　slave's　labour　is　for　his　owner　the　slavery　is　heavy；　and　if　but　little　it　is　light。　Take　now　a　further　step。　Suppose　an　owner　dies；　and　his　estate　with　its　slaves　comes　into　the　hands　of　trustees；　or　suppose　the　estate　and　everything　on　it　to　be　bought　by　a　company；　is　the　condition　of　the　slave　any　the　better　if　the　amount　of　his　compulsory　labour　remains　the　same？　Suppose　that　for　a　company　we　substitute　the　community；　does　it　make　any　difference　to　the　slave　if　the　time　he　has　to　work　for　others　is　as　great；　and　the　time　left　for　himself　is　as　small；　as　before？　The　essential　question　is　　How　much　is　he　compelled　to　labour　for　other　benefit　than　his　own；　and　how　much　can　he　labour　for　his　own　benefit？　The　degree　of　his　slavery　varies　according　to　the　ratio　between　that　which　he　is　forced　to　yield　up　and　that　which　he　is　allowed　to　retain；　and　it　matters　not　whether　his　master　is　a　single　person　or　a　society。　If；　without　option；　he　has　to　labour　for　the　society；　and　receives　from　the　general　stock　such　portion　as　the　society　awards　him；　he　becomes　a　slave　to　the　society。　Socialistic　arrangements　necessitate　an　enslavement　of　this　kind；　and　towards　such　an　enslavement　many　recent　measures；　and　still　more　the　measures　advocated；　are　carrying　us。　Let　us　observe；　first；　their　proximate　effects；　and　then　their　ultimate　effects。　　　　　　The　policy　initiated　by　the　Industrial　Dwellings　Acts　admits　of　development；　and　will　develop。　Where　municipal　bodies　turn　housebuilders；　they　inevitably　lower　the　values　of　houses　otherwise　built；　and　check　the　supply　of　more。　Every　dictation　respecting　modes　of　building　and　conveniences　to　be　provided；　diminishes　the　builder's　profit；　and　prompts　him　to　use　his　capital　where　the　profit　is　not　thus　diminished。　So；　too；　the　owner；　already　finding　that　small　houses　entail　much　labour　and　many　losses　　already　subject　to　troubles　of　inspection　and　interference；　and　to　consequent　costs；　and　having　his　property　daily　rendered　a　more　undesirable　investment；　is　prompted　to　sell；　and　as　buyers　are　for　like　reasons　deterred；　he　has　to　sell　at　a　loss。　And　now　these　still…multiplying　regulations；　ending；　it　may　be；　as　Lord　Grey　proposes；　in　one　requiring　the　owner　to　maintain　the　salubrity　of　his　houses　by　evicting　dirty　tenants；　and　thus　adding　to　his　other　responsibilities　that　of　inspector　of　nuisances；　must　further　prompt　sales　and　further　deter　purchasers：　so　necessitating　greater　depreciation。　What　must　happen？　The　multiplication　of　houses；　and　especially　small　houses；　being　increasingly　checked；　there　must　come　an　increasing　demand　upon　the　local　authority　to　make　up　for　the　deficient　supply。　More　and　more　the　municipal　or　kindred　body　will　have　to　build　houses；　or　to　purchase　houses　rendered　unsaleable　to　private　persons　in　the　way　shown　　houses　which；　greatly　lowered　in　value　as　they　must　become；　it　will；　in　many　cases；　pay　to　buy　rather　than　to　build　new　ones。　Nay；　this　process　must　work　in　a　double　way；　since　every　entailed　increase　of　local　taxation　still　further　depreciates　property。（9*）　And　then；　when　in　towns　this　process　has　gone　so　far　as　to　make　the　local　authority　the　chief　owner　of　houses；　there　will　be　a　good　precedent　for　publicly　providing　houses　for　the　rural　population；　as　proposed　in　the　Radical　programme；（10*）　and　as　urged　by　the　Democratic　Federation；　which　insists　on　〃the　compulsory　construction　of　healthy　artisans'　and　agricultural　labourers'　dwellings　in　proportion　to　the　population。〃　Manifestly；　the　tendency　of　that　which　has　been　done；　is　being　done；　and　is　presently　to　be　done；　is　to　approach　the　socialistic　ideal　in　which　the　community　is　sole　house…proprietor。　　　　　　Such；　too；　must　be　the　effect　of　the　daily…growing　policy　on　the　tenure　and　utilization　of　the　land。　More　numerous　public　benefits；　to　be　achieved　by　more　numerous　public　agencies；　at　the　cost　of　augmented　public　burdens；　must　increasingly　deduct　from　the　returns　on　land；　until；　as　the　depreciation　in　value　becomes　greater　and　greater；　the　resistance　to　change　of　tenure　becomes　less　and　less。　Already；　as　every　one　knows；　there　is　in　many　places　difficulty　in　obtaining　tenants；　even　at　greatly　reduced　rents；　and　land　of　inferior　fertility　in　some　cases　lies　idle；　or　when　farmed　by　the　owner　is　often　farmed　at　a　loss。　Clearly　the　profit　on　capital　invested　in　land　is　not　such　that　taxes；　local　and　general；　can　be　greatly　raised　to　support　extended　public　administrations；　without　an　absorption　of　it　which　will　prompt　owners　to　sell；　and　make　the　best　of　what　reduced　price　they　can　get　by　emigrating　and　buying　land　not　subject　to　heavy　burdens；　as；　indeed；　some　are　now　doing。　This　process；　carried　far；　must　have　the　result　of　throwing　inferior　land　out　of　cultivation；　after　which　there　will　be　raised　more　generally　the　demand　made　by　Mr　Arch；　who；　addressing　the　Radical　Association　of　Brighton　lately；　and　contending　that　existing　landlords　do　not　make　their　land　adequately　productive　for　the　public　benefit；　said　〃he　should　like　the　present　Government　to　pass　a　Compulsory　Cultivation　Bill：〃　an　applauded　proposal　which　he　justified　by　instancing　compulsory　vaccination　（thus　frustrating　the　influence　of　precedent）。　And　this　demand　will　be　pressed；　not　only　by　the　need　for　making　the　land　productive；　but　also　by　the　need　for　employing　the　rural　population。　After　the　Government　has　extended　the　practice　of　hiring　the　unemployed　to　work　on　deserted　lands；　or　lands　acquired　at　nominal　prices；　there　will　be　reached　a　stage　whence　there　is　but　a　small　further　st